A Yami's Hikari
by Autumnrainingleaves
Summary: Sequel to A Hikari's Yami. Almost a year has passed since Atem returned and everything he has ever known falls apart. On September 11, his world is destroyed along with the building that crumbled over Yugi. Read to find out how a dark needs his light to survive and learn how love will find a way through all tragedies. Puzzleshipping/Blindshipping
1. Our End is a New Beginning

**Autumn: Well, here it is. The sequel to a Hikari's Yami.**

**Rika: It took her for-freaking- ever to write this. **

**Autumn: This story is based off of one of the worst days in American history, 9-11. I warn you, until I'm finished, I can't promise updates quickly. But I am working really hard to make this a more in depth story and longer than A Hikari's Yami. So this is not a song fic. **

**Rika: So back to the 9-11 part, Autumn saw a really sad video at school about this dude having amnesia when he was in the accident. He had a happy ending, but a tuff road getting there. **

**Autumn: Disclaimer, I DON'T OWN YUGIOH! There, glad I got that off my chest. Also, all evanescence songs used belong to evanescence. **

**Rika: The song used in this chapter is Hello. So sad. :*( The viewing experience can be enhanced by listening to the songs suggested in author's note. **

Songs: Hello- Evanescence

Normal Text

_/mind link/_

**Song Lyrics/ Time Lapse**

Chapter One

Our end is a new beginning

**Playground school bell rings...Again**

The space beside me in this bed is empty.

**Rain clouds come to play... Again**

I cover my head with the missing person's pillow. The scent of life and lavender has faded away to almost nothing. Memories resurface, causing tears to fall from my crimson eyes. The way my beau left was too harsh and sudden.

**Has no one told you she's not breathing? **

Our friends instead of keeping hope and searching through the rubble, declared my kòi dead.

**Hello, I'm your mind. Giving you someone to talk to. Hello.**

I would know if my love was gone. Our mind link still senses a presence. Not gone, just not all the way there.

**If I smile and don't believe. Soon I know I'll wake from this dream.**

A mask I wear outside this house. This is just another nightmare. When I wake up, my sweet amethyst eyed angel will be beside me.

**Don't try to fix me I'm not broken. **

Almost falling out of bed, somehow I stumble into the kitchen. Bitter yet familiar sakè burns down my eager throat, making the memories fuzzy.

**Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide. Don't cry.**

Only after hallucinations come do I stop drinking. There! Right in front of me is the one I lost. My hand on its own accord reaches for my long gone love. The moment I touch, the fake Yugi shatters and the remaining dust flies away like butterflies of glitter. A dream, when I wake up, my angel will be here.

**Suddenly I know I know I'm not sleeping. Hello.**

Even in my drunken haze I realize he is never coming back. Images of his broken, bleeding, and burning body flood my mind. Over and over while in a fetal position on the floor I scream for the life like images to vanish.

**Well I'm still here, all that's left of yesterday. **

Three months ago, a plane playing a god, flew into the very building he was in. On the ninth of September, my life was utterly destroyed. I was praying to every deity I knew as I ran to the burning building. The first responders refused to let me look for my hikari.

Ignoring their half-hearted demands, I leaped over the line of cars and sprinted towards the dying place. _**Thump, Thump.**_ I looked up to see dead workers falling out of windows and gaps from the building. The sound was coming from their already dead bodies hitting the concrete.

When I reach the doors, he finally called to me through our mind link_. /Atem, help me!/ _

_/Aibou, where are you? I'm com-/_

_/ATEM!/ _

Following his scream, an unearthly screech and rumble overpowered my senses. Dust and debris flew everywhere within the pleasant sitting room. As the coward I am, I dove under a desk. Thousands of screams from the survivors add to the mix. To make my efforts harder, the lights go out. My scrambled brain finally realizes the whole place is collapsing.

The ceiling cracked before falling in giant chunks of steel, wood, and tile. If I had not been huddled under the desk, then I would have met Osiris early again.

After maybe a minute, the shaking and falling was over. The dust was slowly suffocating me. I picked myself up and limped my way out of the darkness. Once back under the sun, I saw the tower. Or what was left.

My eyes seemed to be deceiving me. The proud building was a giant pile of steel with flames and smoke dotting randomly inside. A cloud of dust hung over the city of Domino. Inside my head was silence. For the first time in nine months, silence. Where was he?

_/Yugi?/ _

I asked timidly, almost afraid of his answer. Or rather, not an answer at all.

_/Can't breathe/_

He did not answer, but his thoughts returned. Relief flooded my body. If I had lost him...

_/Yugi./ _

I sent more forcefully. _/Were are you?/ _

_/Dark, cold, so cold. Hurt, a lot of that./ _

A pause as if he was drawing in a breath. _/Yami, I fell. A lot./ _I laughed and let my tears fall. He is alive! _/I'm in some bubble in a stairway. There's a big piece of metal blocking us out./ _Looking around, I saw people running frantically around, like when you disturb an ant bed. I searched with my eyes around the devastation for a moment, but gave up and ran into the jungle of metal.

**Half an hour later.**

Many more volunteers poured in. The metal monsters used for moving heavy materials sat dormant by the street corner. Should they be used, some innocent victim trapped within The Pile might have been crushed. Some glorious person decided we should use eight liter buckets to start moving the smaller, movable pieces. Though the start of clean up would be slow, more productivity would come from this safe way.

Even though we volunteers were being as careful as butterflies, cave-ins within The Pile occurred, leaving me to frantically call to my kòi until he assured me. I thanked dear Ra for each and every time he answered.

The shadows who graciously still serve me, helped us pick up larger and more heavy pieces of metal, giving us above human strength. With the combined effort of many men and my shadows, we lifted enormously gigantic debris.

To pass time, Yugi reminded me of almost forgotten laughs and good times we have shared. He said to me in giggles, /_Remember the time you first had Wasabi?/ _Even at a tragedy like this, I could not help but crack a smile. How was a three millennium old pharaoh supposed to know the green spice would burn through my tongue as my now nineteen year old hikari laughed at my running and frantically fanning my mouth? He had fallen on the floor when he heard me cry in anguish, "Water makes the burning worse!" Any being could have made that mistake. My hikari's mental laughter soothed my frayed nerves with its bell like quality.

I pressed on harder.

**Hours later**

The building next to The Pile has fallen. Keeping a close eye on the burning structure, we had expected it to fall. Suddenly a second shaking occurred, a hot wave of dust and ashy wind lifted me and slammed my body into a white healing truck with the siren. What amazing irony. I have given up on getting the mess cleaned because of the darkening sky. A group of fourteen survivors were found and Yugi along with a few other victims are somewhere else.

I called his name out loud after that, "Yugi." After all of the devastation, every time I called, my voice cracked. I saw my mistake in brushing away the glass of water I was graciously offered. My thirst was so intense I could have drained the Nile.

Though my love could not hear my calling, he still spoke to me in my mind. The hour now is ripe with twilight. A hush gradually fell over the large crowd. Night was drawing as Ra made his last few strokes of the day.  
_/Atem, you can go. Please, not both of us have to suffer./_

_/In your skinny ass dreams/ _

I retorted. I shook my head, sending Ra knows what from my tri-colored hair in a suffocating cloud right up my nose and into my mouth. After the thousandth coughing fit today, I started to feel exhaustion claw its evil way into my body. Going on could possibly be dangerous; the shadows, though not always evil, feed off weakness.

I threateningly whisper, _/I am not leaving you, understand? The very last thing on my mind is leaving you in this maze while I curl up in a warm bed./_ He had not a response. A tired humming let me know he was still alive. Soon, all I could feel was a numbness I knew all too well. When I overuse my mental strength for channeling the shadows, they will keep sucking out my life force until I lose consciousness. Not a moment after the thought goes through my head, my knees buckle and I, once the pharaoh of Kemet, face plant onto the burning ground.

**End of Chapter One**

**Autumn: Review? Please?**


	2. Four Days in Hell

**Autumn: Alright, time for chapter two. **

**Rika: And dear anomous reviewer, yes.. It is completely our fault for administrators going nutso. I'm so glad you were ballsy enough to leave us no way in contacting you. And just for your information, unless you go around to every songfic and tell them the same, I suggest you shove that stick up into your ass until it reaches your heart. If you have one that is. Do not blame us for using quotes. Good gawd. **

**Autumn: And since you gave us a review, we shall continue on with this fic. Though you did not give us any advice on how to improve our writing nor tell us how our writing affected you, which I find odd since that is what reviews were created for. Thank you for edging us on to continue this story. And all other reviewers.. *hands out cyber cookies***

**Rika: Do you think that reviewer was in support of the deleting of most good fanfics?**

**Autumn: Most definately. That was the first supporter I have met. Nice to meet you! b/c we are friendly! Maybe we can pm sometime and you can tell us about how taking away our writing is my fault. **

**Gàman: I hope to meet her or him as well. Do you think he or she liked the story?**

**Rika: Hell yeah! **

**Isamu: Autumnrainingleaves does not claim to own Yu-Gi-Oh nor any songs writtin by Evenescence.**

Chapter Two

Four days in Hell

The moment Yami left, I let out a sigh and drop to the dust covered ground. I barely have enough room to sit up comfortably, but the safe bubble I got trapped in is plenty long enough for me to lay down and stretch out. All of the small patches of light from in between the metal support beams slowly faded into the dark blue of night. There were even a few stars despite all the smoke and commotion from today. A sigh escaped my bleeding lips. Who in the world would have thought a job interview would have gone so terribly?

I know I should have been thanking my lucky stars, but being trapped almost all day left me tired. All I want is to be at home in Atem's arms. **(A.N. Atem is Yami, Yami is Atem. Yugi sometimes calls Atem, Yami as a nickname) **This is just a nightmare and the moment I wake up, I will be in my very soft bed, dreading going job hunting. That hope would be more plausible if the overpowering smell of dust and metal would go away.

Trying to cheer myself up, I pull a yellow piece of paper from my pocket. On it, in very beautiful Kanji, are the words, _No matter what you do, I will love only you. _Under the small note were the hieroglyphs of Atem's name. Every time I see his name, I also see my long lost friends. _Woah Yugi, don't even go there._ Sadly, I doubt they even know I'm in this mess. Maybe they don't even care. I haven't heard from them in almost a year.

Atem's dreams start leaking over the mind link to me. I wonder why he left so suddenly. From his current state, I have to guess he fainted. The thought for some reason makes me giggle. Fainting is far too girly for my yami.

I put my hand on the dusty grey beam above my head and trace patterns onto the surface. It shakes with my movements. If that falls, that would be very painful; the thing looks like it weighs a ton. Carefully I slide until I'm out of its range. It would be just my luck that it would hit my head.

A sudden pang of loneliness hits me. Atem is off somewhere, hopefully someone found him, and I'm stuck in this protective bubble. Tears of hopelessness fill my eyes. What if no one finds me? I cover my face with my hands and try to will the negative thoughts away. What if I die here? What if I never see Atem again? The tears fall. I am so scared.

I pull off my brown jacket and put it over me like a blanket. Even though it is not too terribly cold, I feel a slight sense of comfort. When I fall asleep minutes later, the last thing I remember is the taste of salt.

**Day Two**

All I see when I open my eyes is grey metal. I groan and sit up as much as I can. Pain shoots down my back. Sleeping on the ground is very painful. My muscles ache horribly. I take a look at my arms and see dozens of scattered black bruises. I ease back onto the ground and try to think of something different.

_/Atem?/_ I ask, not really expecting an answer. One is not given to me. That deep, unfillable void I had last year starts creeping into my heart. No! My yami did not leave me again. Did he? Of course not. He most likely exhausted himself.

"Yami?" I harshly whisper. No one seems to hear my cracked voice. There are no sounds besides my breathing. This is odd because I am so used to Atem breathing in perfect synchronization to me; his steady heartbeat calming my erratic one. Almost every day for the past nine months, we have stayed together.

Tiny pieces of debris fly directly down my throat and I go into a coughing fit until my lungs ache. Weakly I watch the light patterns change as the hours pass.

**Day Three**

Never before in my life have I been this thirsty. My tongue has a dry patch on it that continues sticking the roof of my mouth in an unpleasant way. It reminds me of when I eat peanut butter and have nothing to wash it down with.

_/Atem, please wake up. Please, please, please./ _I beg for him to wake up, but I only get snippets of nightmares. If he doesn't find me... I'm too dehydrated to even cry anymore. This is my grave. An above ground casket of metal. Fitting for a forgotten king, no?

The first star comes out after this excrusiatingly slow day. I make a wish, not being very specific.

"Please take me back to Atem."

It only blinks at me. Do stars even blink? Never mind, that was a cloud. I feel as if my sanity is dwindling like my water supply. A few hours ago, I thought I saw a rat and sadly screamed like a girl. I'm still picking out the earth from my nails.

Sleep hits me like a sack of frozen potatoes. Don't even ask how that happened... Tèa..

**Day Four**

A sound like a burning cat wakes me up. It screams horribly and immediately gives me a headache. What idiot..? Idiot! Idiot means a person. Person means I'm not alone!

"Hey," I mumble. Fantastic. I can't speak. Sparks rain down and burn holes in my holes. Oh Ra, some one's cutting through the metal. I shout, "Stop! I'm down here!" The sound thankfully stops.

"Yo Hachi, I think I heard somebody. We might have a survivor. Can you hear me down there?" Some ruff sounding guy asks.

A bit shaken up after two days of absolute nothing, I answer, "I hear. Can you help me?"

"Sure thing kiddo. You're a real trouper for making it this long. Don't try to move anything and we'll get you out." Grateful, I close my eyes and let out a tiny smile. _/Don't worry Atem, I'm almost free./ _Suddenly a bunch of yelling starts.

I hear a thunk and a low groan as if something was giving out. That heavy beam right above my head shakes. It's all going to collapse on me. Before I can even think of moving, it breaks and falls, splitting my head open like an egg.

My own scream scares even me as I die, "YAMI!"

**Autumn: I promise the next chapter is when it gets interesting.**

**Rika: You killed Yugi in the second chapter.**

**Autumn: Well last time Atem was dead before my story even started.**

**Rika: Review and find out what happens next. We promise there is a plot.**

**Autumn: And those people looking for lemons, you have a good wait ahead of you, so go grab some snacks.**


	3. To Wake up in a Nightmare

**Autumn: Short and sweet author's note.**

**Rika: We don't own YuGiOh nor any references to Evanescence songs. **

**Autumn: Note, Atem's view is written past tence for a reason while Yugi's will be written in present tense after this chapter for a reason. Sorry for any confusion. **

Chapter Three

To Wake up in a Nightmare

**Atem **

**Five days after the accident**

I woke up in a strange place that was cold beyond belief. Something soft, a blanket perhaps, was the only comfort between myself and the concrete. My eyes peeled open and I saw a mangled corpse not a hand's length away from my face. A wave of horror made my heart rush and my breathing cease. Slowly, shaking, I sat up with wide eyes.

The woman's body had clearly been crushed by something covered in white paint. The pattern of small squares was forever etched on her face. I tried to look away, but the dead body captivated my attention in a grotesque fascination. She lacked hair in places as if huge chunks had been painfully ripped away. Her eyes were yellow where the white had been; haunting brown irises stared at me as if to say, 'Save him before this happens.' A broken locket splayed open and showed the woman's smiling, living face next to a pouting teenager.

My bones creaked and popped as I stood on my unsteady feet. Many days had passed. The protest of all my muscles screamed so.

Suddenly my other senses hit me like I had been punched. The smell of rotting corpses and rusted metal made me gag while the shriek of metal being crushed made my ears wish to split from the abuse. How long had I been unconscious? My horrified questions bounced around my empty mind.

Empty!

_/Yugi?/_ I asked. Not a flicker of emotion. Not even the flicker of a flicker. _/Yugi!/_ A deep, sick feeling poured into my body, thick, syrupy from my toes up. I could not feel his mind at all. This silence had happened only twice before. Once when he was stolen by the Orichalcos and the other when I had left him.

_/Sweet hikari, please answer me./_ Dead. Gone. Not there. His bright mind in a place too far for me to reach.

I reacted the only way I could. I refused to believe he was taken. _/Aibou? Hikari! Yuuuugi! ANSWER ME DAMMIT!/ _The look of the dead person seemed ingrained in my mind. Yugi, lying helpless, a vacant look as he is slowly abandoned, life leaving him.

"Yugi," I said his name like a soft prayer in the night. This is not real. I must still be asleep. "Yugi." A bit louder. Aibou, partner, hikari, light, ankh, koi, mou hitori no ore, my whole world.

I could not move. My legs protested the movement. "I have to find him," I said aloud, trying to get my body to comply. Knees buckled instead and I fell on my hands. Hopelessness trapped me. What if I never find him? I forced my head to look up and saw the pile where he was buried. It was considerably smaller. Giant bulldozers followed men hastily calling, searching for victims. The sick feeling returned tenfold. Those machines would crush my light.

"Are you alright?" A calming voice asked. My attention snapped to a man wearing blue. **(Shoot me. It's an ambulance outfit.)** "You're alive, you shouldn't be here." An itching feeling pricked my eyes.

"Where?" I harshly whispered. The man rushed to my side, clearly concerned.

"Oh gods," he whispered. I bet I looked awful; I sure felt that way. He placed a gentle hand on the small of my back. "Come on, we have a van away from the smell. You're going to be fine."Strong arms hoisted me back on my feet.

The colors all blurred together in an ugly, washed up grey. A world without Yugi is a colorless one.

I sat rather ungracefully in the back of one of those transportation vehicles to the healing place. The man in blue introduced himself as Hayato and handed me a watter bottle. Without much feeling I unscrewed the cap and put the cool plastic to my lips. Moments later the chill of the water made my vision less hazy and somewhat balms the static in my mind.

For hours I simply stared as the debris and rubble slowly cleared away. Hayato forced me to leave and I only moved to the side of a brick building and waited. Yugi is worth waiting five thousand years for; I few hours I could handle.

Stars shone dimly through the city smog before I could force myself to stand. _/Yugi, I'll come wait for you tomorrow. If they would allow me to search../ _The moment the thought crossed my mind, I remembered that no one would be there after dark, so no one could tell me to stay clear of the the still monumental pile. I dragged myself over the makeshift fence and continued searching far into the night before coming to the conclusion,

Yugi wasn't there.

He was somewhere near, I could feel it. Exhaustion pulled my physical body while my spirit soared with awareness. With a heavy heart, I was forced to walk home alone. Not home, Yugi's and my house. Home is a place you feel safe, secure from all horrors. The one place I ever felt that way has ever been with mou hitori no ore.

**Yugi**

**Fifth Day**

_Beep. Beep. Beepbeep. Beepbeep. _

A faintly familiar sound reached the subconscious of a sleeping boy. The sound roused him fully awake. Startled, the sound increased in tempo.

_Beepbeepbeep. Beepbeepbeep._

Something was wrong. His eyebrows creased together as he tried to place what was not right. There was no discomfort as he lied in the hospital bed, but the fear refused to back down. He felt terrified as alien feelings coursed through him. The names of everything he knew so far were slow in coming.

_Beepbeepbeepbeep. Beepbeepbeepbeep!_

"Scared," he whispered quietly. The sound of his own voice was new to him. His breathing increased close to hyperventilation when the Wrong feeling rose to the point of suffocation. "Wrong. Scared." He had to think out the next thing. Blank thoughts of questioning came.

"Wrong. Scared. ... Words. Need word." Tears of frustration made two wet trails down his pale cheeks. "Something wrong. Need. Someone. Ask." Only the word and meaning came to the forefront of his mind as he thought of what he needed, no memories or images.

"Help. ... Me. Someone. Person.. Me. Help me. Impossible. Wrong. Someone beg help. Wrong." His terror filled him past the point of no return. The teenager's scream brought two nurses to his side.

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

**Autumn: This seems appropriate for an ending of the chapter. **

**Rika: Cruel Hikari.**

**Autumn: I'm guessing this can be a present for an upcoming birthday on the 22nd? Give us a shout out if that's any one's special day!**


	4. Nameless

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs. Don't sue because they don't make me any money. -_- Damned lazy bums.**

**I am very happy with the reviews so far! ^-^ They please me greatly so I give y'all the story more quickly. Keep reviewing for more story! *looks over chapter* This is where it gets confusing... Sorry about that!**

**And for the cover, thank you bunches and bunches ILoveKnucklesShadow. This is the artist from deviantart who allowed me to borrow her piece Don't Go. Everyone give her a hand for being so nice. **

Chapter Four

Nameless

**Yugi**

**Six Days After the accident**

I can't pronounce what the doctor and nurses gave me, but it should be called Instant Calmness. The medicine made all my muscles relax and my breathing slowed to... Normal? I don't know what 'normal' is for me. The slow pace of my breathing feels comfortable and doesn't make me dizzy.

Dr. Jamon (**Jah-mone. O as in coat.)** said I have amnesia. I knew that the second I woke up. Well not exactly. I woke up knowing something was wrong, but I couldn't remember what. Damned amnesia. I find that funny and something bubbles out of my chest. Laughter. I'm so funny I laugh even though I can't remember anything about myself. Wait, this really isn't funny. I shut up.

More clear, big-word-I-can't-say drips through the IV in my hand. The rude people just randomly stuck it in me without permission and I thought I was going to die. I still do. If I pull it out, red sticky stuff will come out of my hand and make a mess all over the floor. Blood, not red sticky stuff. WHY IS THERE NO BLUE?! Blue? What the Hell?

Feeling a bit insane, I pinch the tube attached to my hand and pull it out. The Instant Calmness Dr. Jamon gave me is messing with my head. I hope. Or else I'm crazy. These only words I'm thinking of is giving me a headache. When I thought of the word crazy, a picture of a person or thing or even animal should have come up. Nope. All I know right now is flat 2D book.

My mind is charged, like a thunder storm cloud about to make a lightning bolt. All I can do is think of words, words, colorless, flat, evil, words. I want a person to come and make me feel better. I feel... Lonely. There is a person I love with all my heart. It breaks my heart to know I love someone. He? That seems right. He must be worried. I try to think of him, but all I see is a shadow within shadows. That isn't much help.

Who am I? My eyes start itching. Where do I belong? Tears prick at the corners, trying to spill.

Why are there horrible scars down my arms? They say the worst things. My left arm has cut into the skin, uglY meAn duMb stupId. The capitilized letters must mean something. Yami. Forever etched in my right arm: hAunted worThless unneEded Monster. Atem.

Did I hate myself? I rub my eyes so I won't cry again.

Because I branded myself forever with the worst insults.

uglY hAunted

meAn worThless

duMb unneEded

stupId Monster

Whoever said it hurts to know lied. Not knowing is the worst pain.

Softly I whisper,"I promise, no matter what, that I'll find you." I just hope you still love me.

**Atem**

**Six days after the accident**

"Yuuugi!" My hands were cupped to my mouth, trying to amplify my voice. I had given up on sleep; my dreamland had become a realm of nightmares. "Yugi!" People in uncomfortable looking suits passed me with degrading glances. Why did Kaiba have Battle City in the business section of Domino? The place was filled with important men and women walking briskly. They rudely shoved me around until I had found a bench to stand on. "Yuuugi!"

There was so much black, I would have easily seen my hikari's head. He was not anywhere I was looking, so I yelled, hoping to catch his attention if he was here. I had been chased away from the pile around the time Ra rose. Those workers deserved a special place in the shadow realm for keeping me away. "Aiiibooou!"

Please come back to me.

After a half hour of shouting, the peace keepers come. A man and a short woman walk on either side of the bench, cutting off any means of escape.

"Sir! You are not allowed to stand on the benches. They are for sitting only."

But then how can I see over the crowd? I voiced my concern and the man answers, "Just sit and wait. Whoever you're looking for will show up. You also need to stop shouting, you are disturbing the peace."

"Peace? My peace has been disturbed! You allowed an airplane to hit the building my aibou was in! Baka peace keepers. I need to find him. DO NOT TOUCH ME!" The man had the audacity to pick me up and set me on the ground. He then took my wrists and trapped them behind my back with metal handcuffs. I was being treated like a common thief!

"I will use force if necessary, sir," the man said. "Do you have your visa on you?" That question threw me for a loop.

"No. Seto said I am a citizen of Japan. He did the paperwork for me." They asked me some more questions while my head started getting more and more hazy. Their pale faces started squishing and blurring and morphing together. I was so tired. I tried stepping closer to hear her words better, but my locked knee made me fall over. It bent with a revolting, wet _snap_!

Darkness came to my vision in giant, puffy clouds. "Yugi, the stairs broke my knee. Wait and I'll get you out of the hospital. I forgot that the microwave exploded..." I slurred while speaking nonsense.

For one moment, no longer than a fraction of a second, I felt Yugi. He was alive. Our fractured minds came together and I knew I could find him.

_/My aibou.../_ I knew nothing but the healing darkness after that.

**Yugi**

Dr. Jamon came in after my brooding session. He explained to me that he and his other colleagues were unable to locate my parents. That makes sense. The word _dead_ comes to mind.

"... really remember nothing at all?" I shake my head.

"I have no memories right now, but I know they are somewhere." That wrong feeling pricks across my skin. "What happened to me?"

The doctor with dark chocolate skin falls quiet for a moment and plays with his glasses. "You were brought in from Domino," he starts slowly. A spark of recognition rises. Domino? Why is does it sound familiar? "There was a horrific accident involving a plane. You were found in the rubble five days after the crash."

"I must be lucky to be living."

"You are. It was as if you were in a protective metal ball of some sort. God must have cast His protective hand over you."

I shake my head. "If there was a god, then he wouldn't have let something so awful happen." The christian offers a weak shrug.

"Trials are given to test our faith. But I will respect your non belief." He stands and frowns disapprovingly at the tube lying in a puddle of clear, water looking medicine. "Why did you take it out?"

A blush creeps on my cheeks. "I was questioning why the blue went away. I decided to keep what's left of my mind in tact." Dr. Jamon smiles a bit and cleans up the mess.

He turns back to me when he reaches the door, "Try to think of a name for yourself, I'd like to see what you come up with." Then he leaves.

I wonder what he means by that...

A sudden feeling brushes against my mind. My loneliness disappears and I am filled with completeness. Someone, no, he's in pain. I get concerned and try to speak.

_/My... Aibou./ _It is so quiet I barely hear him. I know for certain it's a he because the voice is far too deep for a woman's.

The other presence suddenly leaves and I feel tears come again. My heart is torn in two, my soul is lost in shadows again. I don't know who it is, or why I heard him, but I know two things for sure.

One, a must find him, no matter the cost.

Two, I love him with all my being.

**Note-**

**I'm sorry I ended it early again! Gosh I hate myself. **

**Shout out!**

**Anyone looking for really good puzzleshipping lemons, look for PixieDust291. I feel like I owe her since I'm always demanding more stories.**

***sweatdrop* Please bear with me as I attempt to organize my thoughts. My new medication makes writing hard. **


	5. Starving

**I'm going to try to update much sooner in apology for the shortness of chapters. It's really making me frustrated that I can't write. *pulls out hair***

**I do not own YuGiOh nor mentioned Evanescence songs.**

Chapter Five

Starving

**Atem**

**Six days after the accident**

I awoke as Ra was spending his last few moments lighting the world. It seems the peace keepers were nice enough to leave a note on the door of our house saying to not leave it hanging open next time. The key was taped under the note next to the lock. How they found out where I lived is still a mystery.

The kitchen seemed to swirl before my eyes and the ground swayed beneath my feet. My grip on reality was slipping. Just a year ago, my hikari was in a fetal position in the same spot as I in a puddle of his own blood. We still have not managed to lift the dark, dark red spot from the floor. It stares at me as a reminder of how I failed him. Not once, not even twice, this is my third failure to him. I cannot believe I have lost him again. And this time, I am in a world I barely understand. This is not my aibou's world any longer, it is the real world. In the past year, I have learned little; I stare in wonder as Yugi stays up late to complete pieces of paper that come in the mail, watch him purchase food and other necessities from the market, once I made the microwave explode and we have yet to replace it.

"Yugi?" I asked the empty house. Only a slight echo answered my weak call. This house is so lonesome without my light's presence to help fill it. Sounds once ignored boom and rocket through the place; I was petrified. The slight creek in the floor made my heart leap to my throat, the ice maker made me choke, my reflection in the mirror almost made me faint.

I looked nothing better than horrifying. My skin had lightened to a frightening shade. It looked like coffee with far too much cream. My cheekbones stood out more than they had ever before. My eyes looked huge with two half dark moon circles hanging beneath them. In odd clumps, my hair lied around my shoulders. The crimson in my eyes had dulled to a sad rust color and appeared much larger than before.

After seeing my reflection, I tried to remember the last time I had eaten. Perhaps... A few days ago? **(A.N. A week)**. My stomach grumbled in protest. Longer then.

I wondered back into the kitchen. Hopefully if I ate, then I would stop having fainting spells. Hunger was most likely the cause. Besides, if I did not nourish myself, how could I hope to find my aibou?

In the refrigerator, everything was rotted and had a pungent, rancid odor. Quietly, I closed the door. I rubbed my nose with my arm and thought, _What else? _No matter the length of time Yugi spent trying to teach me cooking, I burned everything. Even the thought of dried out rice was making me drool at this point. I opened our nearly bare cupbourd and pulled out a small, half eaten box of rice. The sight of how much food we had now in comparison to when Grandpa was living was pitiful. Neither of us were fully prepared for the world when he was poisoned in Egypt. The money had quickly gone away. That was why Yugi was in that building, because we were slowly starving.

Angerly, I attempted to create a meal for myself. Why was he always running off? I never fully forgave Grandpa for leaving Yugi, just as I never forgave myself. We were lucky his arms did not scar.

But that did not matter, my hikari was still missing.

**Yugi**

**Six days after the accident**

The world outside this room is beautiful. I can finally see the colors my mind forgot. The blue sky turning pink, purple, and dark orange as the sun starts sinking. I can name a few flowers that are in a small garden at the front of the hospital. I found I could read when I saw the sign, Tokyo Central Hospital.

My eyes cross a bit to see a different flurry of colors in the window. I see wide, amethyst eyes staring back at me. I jump back in shock, who's eyes- are they mine? Desperately I try to remember what I look like. I close my eyes to not cheat.

I have to remember, I must look at myself in the mirror at least once a day. My skin is awfully pale, but I know that from seeing my arms. I think of all the colors I know and try to place them. My hair.. I have not a clue of the shape or color. The wrong feeling continues to crescendo. I have to know my own face.

Pressure builds from behind my eyes and my throat thickens. Why can't I remember? The absence of my life creates a hollow feeling, like a chest with no heart beat. I know I am forgetting, and I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. If I didn't know something was amiss, I could begin anew and not have a concern about my misplaced memories, but then I would lack the knowledge that I do have.

1. I am deeply in love.

2. I was alone.

3. Someone is trying to find me.

I wholeheartedly give up and open the drawer from the lamp stand and find a mirror. What I see is a surprise, but familiar nevertheless.

I have huge amethyst eyes that take up most of my pale, roundish face. My hair appears to have lost a battle against a fork and electrical socket. It reaches for the sky and is three different colors: blonde, ebony, and crimson. I must get many looks from many people.

_Who am I? _Who could this boy staring back at me possibly be? What is his story?

Why is he covered in self inflicted scars?

Darkness and Atem. Yami and Atem. So familiar, but their meanings are dead to me. It breaks my heart to not know. I feel the tiny pieces fall away from each other like shards of glass; they cut everywhere they land.

I trace a line of stitches on my temple. Whoever I was is gone, he died along with my memories.

Someone's aibou is gone. Whoever he was died when I awoke.

But I can't help but hope that he'll come back again.

His love deserves him, not me.

As the stars light up the night sky, I have a longing for warm arms to wrap around me and a deep tenor voice to whisper, "I promise you will be okay. You are not alone. I am always here for you aibou."

Who are you? Who is this man?

A tune appears in my head with no warning, like any other thought, but somehow, I believe my subconsciousness is telling me something.

**Somehow I'll show you, that you are my night sky.** _(Amy Lee, You)_

Yami. Night. Dark. Dark dark dark. I gaze at my scars and try to decifer the meaning in the healed gashes. Yami Atem.

I give up on thinking for the night. To waste time, I blow hot breath onto the cold window. In the steam I draw a curious picture.

It's an upside-down pyramid.

**Author's Note**

**I followed Icepool's lead and wrote up a chapter for a very special birthday girl. **

**Happy Birthday Namara! (August 17)**


	6. Desperate Measures

**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh. OCs are mine. Evanescence songs are written by Amy Lee and her people (she has bunches, so I'm not listing).**

**The song used in this chapter is **Missing, Evanescence, Anywhere but Home **if you want to listen instead of read the lyrics. **

**Warning! CONTAINS FRUIT! If you are under 14 or hate Yaoi (why the hell are you reading?) I strongly recommend that you read with caution. **

Chapter Six

Desperate Measures

**Atem**

**Unknown amount of time after the accident**

The days have blurred together so much, I can't imagine life before my aibou went missing. I did know that I was truly starving to death. My hipbones had never protruded as much before and I could count each of my ribs. I was barely fitting in my hikari's clothes. All the mirrors in the house had been flipped around so I could not see how pitiful I appeared. . The food in the cabinets quickly ran out, and I always come to the house hungry after a long day of searching for Yugi.

He was anywhere I was not looking. Aibou was walking around the corner, just down the stairs, at the end of a dark alley. Was this what going crazy felt like? I sure thought I was insane.

I sat down on the concrete sidewalk and stared at the lit lamp high above the road. A brown glass bottle glittered in several thousand pieces a little ways to the left. The sakè bottle reminded me of my heart, ugly, empty, and shattered. I slid further to the right so I would not do anything rash with the sharp glass. I had to be strong for Yugi.

A loud roll of thunder spooked me. Lightening flashed high from the dark storm clouds. If I was not lost, I might have gone home.

Yugi had always avoided this part of Domino. It was past the piers and far away from our house. The place had a layout that made me go in circles until I nearly collapsed. Everything appeared either rundown or dirty. The small convenience store with fuel for cars against my back had more customers leaving with drinks than anything else.

I hugged my bare arms and shivered as a cold wind passed. The warm months were clearly over, but I had left the house in a hurry after suffering from another nightmare. I was slowly suffocating in our bedroom. All of it, even the smell, reminded me my aibou was not there. The thought of bringing a coat did not pass through my mind.

Tiny, grey dots appeared on the sidewalk. I shivered more as the icy drops hit my skin. Goosebumps emerged and I began rubbing my arms for warmth. I truly could not stand another minute in that house without Yugi. The thought of his name sent a slash across my heart like a knife wound. He is alive and alone. I prayed he would come back.

The rain came down harder, making my bangs plaster to my forehead. The sound of the rain reminds me of turning a bag of rice onto its side. A very long _slish_ with added soft tapping. Well, loud tapping now, I was caught in a downpour.

I looked around and put my hands to my face and stifled sobs. Lost. Even when I had no memories, I had not felt this not only physically, but emotionally lost. What was I doing wrong? How could I fix this? Simply put, why? Why did awful things happen to us?

"Excuse me, are you working tonight?" A man's voice asked. I peered at him through my eyelashes. He appeared like he was on business complete with a suit and briefcase. Further from my vision, a nice car purred beside the curb.

"What?" I returned, confused. My only jobs were to watch the store and help keep the house clean.

A strange kind of warmth appeared in his brown eyes. He seemed kind. The man wiped his thumb under my eye and spoke softly, "I saw you crying, do you need to go someplace warm?" Alarm bells should have sounded at his generosity, but I was too emotionally drained at this point to care. He helped me up with a hand strong enough to break my arm and led me to his car that was conveniently left on. He even took off his warm jacket and placed it around my quivering shoulders.

The car was wonderfully warm. The heat brushed my skin and seemed to warm my very bones. Warmth was something I missed about my hikari. No matter when, he always had a comforting warmth around him. That was why I fell in love with him before I even saw his face. His light could bring the dead back to life.

I did not notice when we took off. The red car was smooth and everything was silent. I nearly jumped when I noticed the buildings passing by. "Where are we going?" The trust I felt was transforming to fear.

"A hotel," he answered and added, "My name is John." What an odd name. "I'm from America." That seemed a plausible explanation.

"I am Atem, I originate from Egypt." It seemed only polite that I attempted to be friendly with the kind man. "Why is our destination a hotel?" He gave a small smile.

"You act so clueless. I'm gonna make sure you get warm." Uncomfortable tingles prickled down my spine.

"But I am warm now"

John actually laughed.

**Yugi**

It was easy sneaking away from the hospital. I was given my clothes back, nice and clean. I wear them now: a brown jacket, a stained, white shirt with a collar, and light brown pants.

The flowers are withered and brown. Summer turned into fall quite beautifully. The few trees I see have colorful arrays of leaves. But the wind has a sharp bite and my breath makes a small cloud around my mouth. My hands are shoved into my pockets and I wish for something besides my hair to cover my ears.

I waited at that hospital for nearly a month and no one came to rescue me. My memories are still far from my grasp. I grew fed up with waiting and left at the nurses' change of shift. I left a note signed by Nameless. I hope I can repay them one day for saving me.

**Please, please, forgive me **

**But I won't be home again **

**Maybe someday you'll look up **

**And barely conscious, you'll say to no one **

**"Isn't something missing?"**

Is it worth being saved though? Now I'm in a city I don't know or don't remember after dark. People walk by and bump into me and all I want to do is scream, "Help me or leave me alone!" I won't though. I'm small enough to be shoved into a trashcan.

**You won't cry for my absence, I know**

**You forgot me long ago**

**Am I that unimportant?**

**Am I so insignificant?**

**Isn't something missing?**

**Isn't someone missing me?**

A drop of water hits my nose. I jump from the icy drop and watch perplexed as the now few people open weird pieces of cloth. My brain supplies the word Umbrella. I realize their importance after a roll of thunder. Rain pours in sheets. In less than a minute, I'm drenched. My teeth start chattering.

I've never felt so alone.

**Even though I'm the sacrifice**

**You won't try for me, not now**

**Though I'd die to know you love me**

**I'm all alone**

**Isn't someone missing me?**

Do I matter? Who left me in this world I can't remember and no longer understand? A glimmer of fear hits me.

**And if I bleed, I'll bleed**

**Knowing you don't care**

**And if I sleep just to dream of you**

**I'll wake without you there**

**Isn't something missing?**

**Isn't something...**

What if I'm never found?

The other presence comes to my mind and I smile a moment. No, even if I'm not found, I'll still know that I'm loved.

The usual love and devotion I feel from the other man has been replaced. He seems to be crying. Without knowledge of what I'm doing, I concentrate on those foreign feelings and think of comfort. Somehow he responds by invading my soul. His hurt suffocates me from the inside out. My own thoughts don't feel safe and I regretfully drive him away.

I collapse in the corner of an alley and break down into tears. Something unspeakable happened to him, and there is no way I can help. All I can do is fumble around in the dark while he screams.

I whisper to no one,"I'm so sorry."

**Atem**

How it happened, how I could have been so foolish, I will never know. To trust others immediately and without question is my aibou's job, not mine. I am the one who acted weary around strangers. I protected.

John had temporary purchased a room for the night and had left me on the bed. My heart panged with sadness from the emptiness. Our bed still smelled like Yugi despite how long it had been since he had slept in it.

The door swung open and John reentered looking a bit nervous. He picked at his nails and bit his lip. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he quickly answered and babbled, "It's just I've never done anything like this before so I don't really know what happens next and-"

I interrupted, much like I have to do to my aibou, "It's alright. You are very kind for helping me." He offered a weak smile to my own. The large man walked rather awkwardly to the white bed and descended close beside me. Very too close. Late alarm bells sounded in my head.

Before I could think of an excuse or simply run away, he leaned forward and kissed me. His tongue pushed past my lips and all my thoughts ran away from the shock I felt.

They returned sometime later and I found myself lying under him. All I could think of was, 'where did my clothes go?' My entire jaw and collarbone ached from being strung between his teeth. I could feel the painful bruises forming. I tried to push him away, but I was far too numb to consider moving. I felt so betrayed for some reason.

When those blocky fingers started descending, I lost my grip on the world and fell to a more or less familiar place.

My soul room had changed dramatically since I had last visited. The ever changing labyrinth had fallen to pieces over a year ago. Instead, there were four walls covered in writing. The hieroglyphs told my story from the day I was born to just a few moments ago. Only a couple of the words were different. Yugi, Anzu, Jou, Seto, all of my past friends and hikari's names were written in kanji. I traced Yugi's name with my forefinger; the letters had a soft warmth about them.

I watched blood start pouring from the golden letters. It fell in giant splatters over the wooden deck covered in papers, the giant white bed placed oddly in the center, and me. The horrible metallic scent made me gag. I looked desperately for a door and turned a knob I cannot believe I found.

I fell into the hallway betwixt Aibou's and my soul rooms. Swiftly I slammed the metal door to my soul shut. The pain from my body started to creep up after I left my haven. Small whimpers left my chest. That kind of hurt was something I did not understand.

Aibou's door seemed brighter and warmer than ever. Softly, I placed my hand on the healing wood. I heard and felt his frustration and fear. I tried to send back positive thoughts, but I was too scared. The pain transformed to agony and I cried out again and again.

The room opened to me, just enough for me to see his beautiful soul. Everything was the same and perfect. "Where are you? Tell me.." I tried harder to see his thoughts and he blocked me. The door slammed shut in my face from his fear.

I was back in the real world again. Tears immediately streamed from my eyes. Hurt, pain, agony, torture, those words could not describe what I felt. Not only physically, but mentally.

He did not notice how I blacked out, nor my internal screaming. When he was done, he set some bills on the nightstand and bade me with a good night before he left.

I could not move, think, or scream. I just lied there in a pool of body liquids and existed.

**Even though I'm the sacrifice **

**You won't try for me, not now**

**Though I'd die to know you love me**

**I'm all alone**

**Isn't something missing?**

**Isn't someone missing me?**


	7. Drowning

**I'm thinking of posting a oneshot. I'll give more information at the next author's note. **

Chapter Seven

Drowning

**Atem**

I lied in the hotel bed for hours with my thoughts on nothing besides a stain on the ceiling. The hollow, throbbing ache in my lower back kept bringing me back to the present. I was no better than a heram servant. Was this how they felt after their first time or did they have more time to become used to the idea?

The thoughts I was attempting to avoid continued breaking down my mental barriers until I allowed them through.

My hikari had blocked me out.

I heavily dragged my arms to cover my eyes as if that would help. I had been so close to finding him, but my pain frightened him away. Hot, frustrated tears overflowed from my eyes and tickled their way to the base of my hairline. They fell faster as I thought back to why I ached; John had pulled a small amount of hair out in his 'passion'.

I felt so dirty, as if he had not only used my body, but had taken something from my soul away with him. Instead of righteous anger though, I felt only hollow emptiness. Even if I could find Aibou, he would most likely reject me. I was tainted.

Some protector I turned out to be. All I had done to help anyone was to give them a quick moment of pleasure. Bile rose in my throat. I did not belong in this world. I was not strong enough to.

Smaller amounts of agony made me sharply intake air when I bent over to retrieve my clothing from the floor. My lower back throbbed in pain. I deserve it. I deserve any pain given unto me. Never would I have dared to ask anyone for the hurt to cease.

After I dressed, I kept my eyes downcast as I limped from the evil place. The downpour had stopped, but I still had to trudge through deep collections of water to retrace my steps. Not one thought of complain entered my mind about the frigid temperature. The loss of hope had left me graciously numb. Why had I trusted him?

A short amount of time later and I had returned to the small convenience store. To my curiosity, three girls stood where I had previously been. One was in the shortest pink dress one could imagine and somehow stood in platforms higher than even Anzu could hope to wear. Her hair glowed blonde and darkened to purple at the ends of her elaborate updo. The giggling girl beside her was darker than myself and had odd jewels encrusted on her cellular device.

The last of the three stood a bit further away. She wore a light blue plaid, button down shirt that was completely undone besides a single button beneath her cleavage, the bottom half of the shirt was tucked into a knot and exposed her tiny stomach. The girl was almost as short as Rebecca and seemed almost as young. She turned to me and glared through innumeral black curls.

"Hey buddy, this is our base, you can high tail it out of here before I send Zare after you." The darker girl turned at what I supposed was the sound of name. Her eyes rolled and continued with her conversation.

I stood taken aback from the heavy accent. Was this one of those American business districts?

She stomped over a rather large puddle and nearly bounded to me; the girl must have been as tall as Yugi's nose. "I said beat it! Are you deaf or something?" A look of horror covered her tiny features. "You're not an agent, are you?!"

I stuttered, "N-no. I am lost." In more ways than one.

Her blue eyes slanted untrustingly. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms. "Where do you need to go? I was about to take a break anyway." I told her my address and she clicked her tongue in disapproval. "I'll be leaving for the night. This idiot's strayed too far from his suburban family." Zare pressed a button on her phone and waved. The other one simply grinned. The girl with curly hair rolled her eyes and took me ruffly by the hand. I could not swallow the gasp of pain when my foot hit the cement.

The girl immediately switched from being cold and hostile to sweet and caring. "Are you alright?" She studied me and seemed to take in my injuries. Her eyes widened. "You don't work here, do you?" I shook my head, more confused than ever.

She bit her lip. "What's your name? I'm Summer Rose. I go by Rika at night though." Summer babbled. When she took a breath, I put in,

"Atem. To a few, I am Yami." We crossed a desolate street in silence. The landmarks looked slightly familiar to me. The tiny girl looked up at me in disbelief.

"Atem? That is stranger than these Japanese names I'm getting used to." Her voice sounder softer now and less reprimanding though still rather rude.

For some reason, I snapped, "It is the name my father bestowed to me and is worthy of the gods." To me, my name was my second most precious treasure. I would have willingly forgotten it for forever if my aibou would come back. Every time I think of my own name, a sharp pang stabs my heart. It hurts almost as much as my backside.

Summer/Rika recoiled. "Sorry. Didn't mean to offend." The cool mask was back. She awkwardly (there is no other word to describe) took my hand and soothingly rubbed her thumb over the knuckles. My throat swelled and I swallowed thickly. At least there were still good people to be mixed in with the bad.

**Yugi**

The rain makes my clothes so heavy that I cannot imagine walking much further. Weeks of doing nothing besides very light exercising has done me little good. I want to complain and mumble about my rotten luck, but the thought of the person in my mind helps me hold my tongue. Why did I push him away? The guilt adds even more weight to my soaked shoulders.

I think I deserve to be wet and shivering. A squilshy cough sounds from behind me and I see another lost man. He wears nothing but rags that needed to be rained on. His face has a sad sag from hunger. His eyes terrify me though; they look desperate and are trained on me. Of course no one else is out anymore this late.

I grip the edges of my sodden jacket even tighter, making my pale knuckles more white, and duck my head. My efforts to disappear sadly fail.

He walks by me under the street light, then shoves me against the side of a building. His hands rummage through my pockets and he growls when they come up empty. I make no noises so hopefully he'll leave once he realises I have nothing to give. I can't help the fresh tears streaking down my cheeks when I feel something sharp and wickedly cold meet my neck.

"Give me all you've got or I'm ramming this knife right through your neck," he growls. His foul, hot breath tickles my neck.

"I-I I've, I d-d-don't got-t anything!" I have to assume my teeth are chattering from not only the cold, but my terror as well.

The man growls again, and kicks my back. I fall sharply onto the saturated sidewalk. "Fucking brat. You got lucky." He turns to the way I came and walks off quickly.

I lay and continue to get more sodden. Why am I lucky for having nothing? I still don't even know my own name. My entire exsitence has been erased from the world. I AM nothing.

**I'm so tired of being here**

**Suppressed by all of my childish fears**

**And if you have to leave**

**I wish that you would just leave**

**Cause your presence still lingers here**

**And it won't leave me alone**

But I can't be nothing. Because someone loves me more than anything.

**Atem**

My love for him was killing me. Summer had deposited me in our neiborhood and left for her own home. She had untied her shirt and pulled down her skirt; she looked nothing like the other girls when she had waved good bye.

I found a glass bottle of burning liquid and drank until the room began spinning. I felt like I had managed to float away from all of my ailments. I felt good, but the tears refused to cease falling. Not even the fire of alcohol could make Yuugi disappear. He was forever imprinted in my soul. Through the haze of oblivion, I was still conscious of how much I wanted, no, needed him.

**These wounds won't seem to heal**

**This pain is just too real**

**There's just too much that time cannot erase**

_Our world was falling apart; some man in a clown getup had stolen our puzzle. I was launched back into the terrible darkness of the millennium puzzle. At first I was horribly frightened, but my hikari's light just outside my door gave me hope. Then I felt his terror. _

_Fire was everywhere. Yuugi was losing hope and afraid of getting trapped. __I__ was afraid of him becoming trapped. I begged for my aibou to leave from our fragile mind link, but he refused. Yuugi would not leave me behind because he loved me, I was his best friend. _

_Despite the danger, my aibou stayed while I could do nothing. I heard him whisper to the shattered puzzle, "I wish to see you again." _

_My heart seemed to expand with warmth and care for my hikari. He could have wished for almost anything, and he used his wish on me. _

_I fell completely and hopelessly in love with him at that moment. _

**When you'd cry I'd wipe away all of your tears**

**When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears**

**And I've held your hand through all of these years**

**But you still have all of me**

**You used to captivate me **

**By your resonating light**

**But now I'm bound by**

**The life you left behind **

I gripped the edge of the icy counter as if it were my sanity. Why is everything so cold? Is it my imagination or did the entire world suffer from the absence of my aibou?

Dying had never seemed so peaceful. Maybe that was were he went. I doubt it greatly, but if I could not find him soon, I was willing take my own life just like he almost did so we could be together.

I was and am trapped by my love. I do not mind at all, because my hikari is my heart.

He is my heart.

I'm missing my heart.

**Yuugi**

**Your face it haunts **

**My once pleasant dreams**

**Your voice it chased away**

**All of the sanity in me**

Who are you? Dammit, I'm being driven insane by what I don't know.

I've found a place to sleep for tonight. One of 24 hour coffee shops is dark and no one has noticed me dripping on a forgotten bench in the corner. The smell reminds me of someone I always saw right after I woke up. Old, withered, and somehow still full of youth. Invisible hands grip my throat at the thought. Another man I loved. Who, I'm not sure, but I shove him from my mind because he's gone too. I'm afraid to remember him for an unknown reason.

I close my eyes so hopefully dreams will take me. The warmth of the store lulls me to sleep.

_I'm lying on the floor surrounded by blood. Somehow I know it is my own and I'm going to die. Dying feels so good at this point. I'll finally be reunited with my lost love. If the pain would disappear, I would almost feel at peace. I almost close my eyes and accept leaving the world. _

_Before I can move on, an angel breaks through the door and he screams a name I just miss. _

**A.N.**

**What in the world did I just write? Oh well, goes with plot line. **

**I do not own the song used. (My Immortal, Evanescence, Fallen) **

**So for the oneshot, I did a crossover of Yugioh *puzzleshipping of course* and Night at The Museum. Anyone interested?**

**Happy late birthday Icepool123. I think I missed it by a week. **


	8. Not dead, but not living either

Chapter 8

Not Dead, but not living either

**Yugi**

I awaken from my awful nightmare to a raging waitress throwing boiling coffee on me. The brown liquid hits my stomach where my shirt had ridden up. Ugly, dark red welts appear painfully on my hands and belly. Is that me screaming or the other teenager? I run from her apologies into the blinding sunlight.

Burns. Hot. Fire.

_I can't let the puzzle trap him again! This pain will be nothing compared to the pain of knowing I let him down. The gold is going soft from the scorching heat. My fingers are burned past the capability to feel. I don't care. I love him too much._

What does that even mean? How is the person I'm looking for connected to a puzzle lost in a fire? I let go of those thoughts and continue my sporadic flight into a city I don't know.

**A week later**

**Atem**

When had I become such a sad creature? I lived in filth; bottles of sake littered the floor in broken pieces, unwashed dishes lied gathering dust on the counter, I refused to even groom myself. All I desired was another drink to wash away the fake memories. What was real and what was not? Could I really see all the bones within my arm or was that just dirt in straight lines? Did the crying at night exist or was that simply me? Nothing made sense without my light. I was flailing blindly in the darkness he left behind. Was a knife embedded in my chest or was my heart only broken?

My belly crawled with metaphorical maggots when I asked Summer to teach me how to acquire money like her. She told me any and everything she could think of. How anyone could live like that, I will never know. I did and I hated myself more and more as time dragged on.

I was dragging myself out of the bar and ran into a person I never though I would meet again. Even after more than a year, he still had the same blonde, shaggy hair, the brown eyes burning with life, and deck in his pocket. Some habits must die hard; I still carried the deck Yugi and I first created together.

His honey eyes widened when he saw me. "Yugi?! What happened?" I threw my head back and laughed. My judgment had already been tampered with by alcohol.

"What happened Jounouchi? Aibou trusted his friends and they let him down when he needed it the most!" He looked confused.

"Atem? When did you come back? What's wrong with Yugi?" I despised the man before me greatly. Had I still had the power of a pharaoh, I would have stabbed him and left Jounouchi for dead, just as he did to us.

"What is wrong? EVERYTHING YOU DIRTY LIAR! I CAME BACK AND FOUND MY HIKARI NEARLY DEAD ON THE FLOOR!" Jou put his hands on my shoulders to calm me down. "Don't you dare touch me," I growled. The insanity from when I first reentered this world sparked up from my intoxicated anger. "I came back over a year ago. Yugi had cut his arms to bits and I almost lost him. Somehow I saved him and we've tried to contact the rest of YOU ever since." His hands dropped to his sides and his pallor turned pale. I was far from done.

"You know what else? Grandpa died. His ashes were spread in Khemet. We could not make money the way he did and we have starved for months. Aibou went to find another job and guess what building he was in on September 11?" Jou looked ready to faint.

"N-not Yugi. No..." Ha, the fool was in disbelief. "That was over a month ago." The pain blossomed again. Was I really such an incompetent protector, or was this entire situation out of my hands? I will always believe the first question is a yes. "I'm so sorry, Pharaoh." I wanted to hurt myself beyond repair. I wanted to have ugly words scarred into my arms.

"I am no longer competent enough to be a Pharaoh. I cannot protect my family, much less a great kingdom." I placed my hands in my pockets for warmth I did not deserve and turned away. "I never want to see you again. I will never forgive you for abandoning Yugi." As I did.

**Yugi**

Thank Kami for charity. The sun thaws me out from the chilly late October winds as I stand in a short line for a cold sandwich and drink. When I washed my shirt in a bathroom earlier, I could count all of my ribs. What day is it? I could easily ask..

A pretty girl with long, wavy black hair hands me a paper bag. "Good morning, miss. Do you know what day it is?" She laughed cutely and responded,

"Please refrain from calling me miss, my name is Xiaka (Sha-ka). Today is October 29." She bent under the fold out table and handed me a small backpack. "Your clothes look a bit dirty. I hope the ones in here fit. There's also soap and a toothbrush." After returning her smile, I thank her and stuff the food into my mouth when I'm a good distance away. Peanut butter has never tasted so good.

I aimlessly walk around like always with my mouth glued shut from the sandwich. Another four would be great. I'm used to being hungry, I guess. The hungry feeling only makes me laugh because it tickles so much.

I'm grateful to whoever is watching over me since I haven't had another run in with a thief. Though I woke up yesterday with all my pockets turned out.

_Game_

I look over my shoulder; no one's there. Is the voice back? I really should try to find him. He sounded so hurt.

_Game, where are you?_

I bite my lip and think of something to say.

/_What game are you looking for?/_

_\Game...\ _He sighs. Is this really someone else, or just a figment of my imagination?

**Atem**

I spent hours in my soul room attempting to clean out all the blood. If I did not think too much, I could ignore the moans intermingling in the stale air. _\Yuugi?\ _Did I ever stop asking for him to come, despite the fact he was dead? NO! He was still living. An angelic voice tentatively responded, _/What game are you looking for?/ _

_\Yugi...\_ "Yugi..." I could not keep the adoration out of my voice. The man above me asked a question I did not hear. Was this really Yugi, or was it just a figment of my imagination? The warmth, light, and life faded to black. Back to the slowly shattering world I must always return.

**Yugi**

He leaves before I can say anything else. My heart must know what I don't because it pangs with loss.

_I made a wish on the puzzle. I wished for friends. Friends who would never betray me and friends whom I would never betray. _

Click. Click. Click. The sound of high heels reminds me of countless hours of clicking together a non-melted puzzle. Where did I put it together? Did I have a nice room or have I always been without a home? I try to remember a room. My room.

_**I tried to kill the pain**_

_**But only brought more (so much more)**_

_**I lay dying**_

_**And I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal**_

_**I'm dying praying bleeding and screaming**_

_**Am I too lost to be saved?**_

_**Am I too lost? -Tourniquet, Evanescence**_

uglY, hAunted, meAn, worThless, duMb, unneEded, stupId, Monster. I trace the words by habit and imagine myself cutting the words into my arm. I owe my life to whoever saved me. The light form the dream made the angel's face covered in shadow, so I have no idea who it could be. I would have to remember someone that important, right?

The puzzle pieces are in my grasp, but I can't put them together. Bits of my forgotten past are lined up neatly, waiting to be put in a logical order, but they don't make sense. Why does everything always go back to a puzzle?

_A flash of gold into an endless abyss. I've lost everything. _

At least then I knew who I was. Or did I?

**Atem**

I entered a grocery store after the litter on the street began looking edible. So many useless yet treasured memories happened in this place as well as others. The past seems a better time than this nightmare.

_Aibou wanted a box just out of our reach. He stepped on the bottom bar of the cart and took his prize. "Got it!" This was in the summer after I returned. _

_Feeling playful, I steered the buggy and used my arms to trap Yugi. "Yami! Let me down," he pouted. _

_"Not a chance hikari." He squealed when we zoomed down the aisles. I could not cease my laughter. _**1.** _The man at the cash register simply shook his head at my childish antics. He did become rather stern when aibou gave me a kiss and the cart flipped while I was distracted. We could only laugh. _

The same man was there. He checked out the meager food I chose and struck up a one sided conversation. I paid him no attention until he asked where my boyfriend was. "Or are you two married now?" I changed the subject.

"How much?"

"23.96." **2.** I pulled the money from my pocket and gave him half. I still could not count the terms and pay. Yugi always teased me about my lack of education.

He handed me back almost all of the money with a bewildered expression. "How much were you planning on tipping me?" His expression softened and he promised, "I didn't cheat you, swear on my wife's grave." Maybe he knew my pain. How long had he been without her?

Would I grow old and wrinkled alone? The thought of such a dark life made me knees weak. "I promise Yugi. I promise I will find you in heaven if you are not by my side by the New Year." **3.**

**A.N.**

**How have you missed me? *crickets* I know, I've been absent a month! I had some horrible medical complications and I've been horrendously distracted by school. Please forgive me. *offers pancakes***

**1. Could an artist draw this scene? I find it hilarious. **

**2. USD is all I know..**

**3. New Years is a HUGE holiday in Japan. Do some research and you'll understand. **

**Until the stars shine again. -Icepool123. **


	9. Almost nowhere

**Finally! A school break. Nothing much to say except that the ride is almost over. Oh, and whoever hasn't read the manga version, I suggest finishing that before reading this. I copied it down word for word. Kuzuki Takahashi wrote it, not me! I just added in the puzzleshipping. You'll know what I mean... I hope. **

Chapter 9

Almost nowhere

**Sometime later, early December**

**Yugi**

It's far too cold for me to comprehend. My jaw aches from the constant chattering, but I smile anyway at the plump woman in front of me. She offers me a hot chocolate and I take it gratefully and carefully because of the socks on my hands. I stiffly walk to a brick building and nestle myself into the corner. It halfway protects my skin from the wind blowing through the holes in my clothes. Warmth radiates to my toes when I sip from the scalding drink.

_A pair of brown arms wrapped around my waist. The dark color shocked me again, despite how long it had been since my yami had been sent to the afterlife._

I drop the drink. The thick, brown liquid spreads in a sick way that reminds me of blood. "What?" The one person in this world I had hoped could find me is dead? How could this happen? I've seen him or have had more weird visions about the pale man with glowing red eyes. The more I saw, the more I fell in love with him. Again, I'm certain. I pull down my frayed sleeve and look at the scars. In all capital letters is Yami. After a few minutes of piecing everything I know together, I realize, _Yami, your name is Yami._ No. That's wrong. Horribly wrong. Maybe his nickname.

_We did it, Aibou!_

Voices, pictures, faces with no names, constantly float around in my mind. I get so frustrated that none of it makes sense. One of the 'happiest' I have is when I see four hands with a smiley face drawn on them all. The smallest hand is mine and the rest belong to people I 'know' but can't remember.

_"My treasure is in plain view, but you can't see it." _

I remember that answer. Friendship. Who said that? I concentrate on the voice behind the words. He said the words with a weird accent. He was taller than me. Suddenly I saw the whole picture. This was the tall guy with blonde hair and brown eyes. He's with me in many of my memories. He and the brown headed girl and the other guy with pointed hair. My friends! We had the smiley face drawn on our hands! And there was another. A few others.

I smile from being so happy. I know them! They know me! I'm not Nameless or alone. I'm...

Somebody.

**Atem**

**Playground school bell rings...Again**

The space beside me in this bed is empty.

**Rain clouds come to play... Again**

I cover my head with the missing person's pillow. The scent of life and lavender has faded away to almost nothing. Memories resurface, causing tears to fall from my crimson eyes. The way my beau left was too harsh and sudden.

**Has no one told you she's not breathing? **

Our friends, instead of keeping hope and searching through the rubble, declared my kòi dead.

**Hello, I'm your mind. Giving you someone to talk to. Hello.**

I would know if my love was gone. Our mind link still senses a presence. Not gone, just not all the way there.

**If I smile and don't believe. Soon I know I'll wake from this dream.**

A mask I wear outside this house. This is just another nightmare. When I wake up, my sweet amethyst eyed angel will be beside me.

**Don't try to fix me I'm not broken. **

Almost falling out of bed, somehow I stumble into the kitchen. Bitter yet familiar sakè burns down my eager throat, making the memories fuzzy.

**Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide. Don't cry.**

Only after hallucinations come do I stop drinking. There! Right in front of me is the one I lost. My hand on its own accord reaches for my long gone love. The moment I touch, the fake Yugi shatters and the remaining dust flies away like butterflies of glitter. A dream, when I wake up, my angel will be here.

**Suddenly I know I know I'm not sleeping. Hello.**

Even in my drunken haze I realize he is never coming back. Images of his broken, bleeding, and burning body flood my mind. Over and over while in a fetal position on the floor, I scream for the life like images to vanish.

**Well I'm still here, all that's left of yesterday. **

Three months ago, a plane playing a god, flew into the very building he was in. On the ninth of September, my life was utterly destroyed.

**Yugi**

I clutch my head to keep the screaming from making it fall apart. /_Stop._/ I beg. It's so painful my brain might drip out my ears. /_Please, stop/_

_/Game!/ _His answer is only to continue waling game. Why is this game so important to him? He almost makes it sound as if game is a person. Yugi. Yugi. Yugi..

_Ishizu replied in a voice thick from tears, "This is Yugi's message to the pharaoh, The souls of the dead must not linger in the world of the living." _NO! The feeling of acid pours over my heart as I remember. _"At last the King must travel to the Afterworld." _Kami, no, I KNOW I didn't mean it. _"Yugi's trump card.. Was also his way of saying goodbye," I wanted to wail, but I couldn't breathe. I wanted to prove that I didn't need him, not to my friends or Grandpa, but to me. I had to prove I could be my own person. I suddenly realise I don't want to be independent. _Being independent is also being alone.

_I love you. I love you. _I love you.

_He smiled. WHY?! YOU'RE LEAVING ME! _

_"You did it partner, you won." No, I lost. I've lost everything. _I can still see it. Feel it. Yami. I love him. _"Stand up, the winner shouldn't be on his knees." He bent down and put a hand on my shoulder. I can feel the warmth of him for the first time. _And the last? Yami. I remember you. You were with me for years. I spent eight trying to solve the millennium puzzle. We had so many adventures together. I know I'm Yugi. I have no doubt. I have the feelings inside, throughout and after the memories.

Jou, Honda, Anzu, and Bakura were my closest friends. Not anymore. Bakura went crazy after Yami Bakura left and was locked away in a nursing home. Anzu moved to America. Honda died in police school. Jou just disappeared. Atem was the glue who kept us together, once he left, we all fell apart.

What happened to me?

I open my eyes and find myself in a small room with a few toys on the floor. The walls glow softly; it's cozy warm like a blanket. I sit on the blue bed and hang my head into my hands. After sleeping on the streets for so long, I nearly fall asleep on the comfortable bed. No. I straighten up and think. How am I getting back home to grandpa?

The white nightstand somehow captures my attention. I lean over to open the stubborn drawer and gently pull out two photo albums. One is white with golden designs and the other is black and tattered. The golden one falls open off my lap to a picture of my and my former friends all squished together with myself and Yami in the middle. I had the faintest of blushes on my cheeks. Yami once materialized randomly. I was so happy even if he couldn't do it again.

I flip further and see a picture of Yami talking to Anzu. He had told her that she wasn't the one he loved. I felt so guilty, but I was happy it could (by a long shot) be me that he held dearest in his heart.

I skip to near the back and laugh at a photograph of Atem holding me hostage on a shopping cart. Though we crashed in the end, I had the best ride.

The last portrait shows me as I remember myself, in the brown jacket and light pants. Atem had snuck up behind me and kissed me while I was making him breakfast. He was wearing only a pair of grey pajama pants, so I could feel his warm chest across my back. Somehow I can smell the night sky his scent reminds me of. I blush at the thoughts that had gone through my head.

_/I love you aibou, soo much. This world I don't belong. See you in heaven./ _His voice is back. This time I know it's him. Why is our connection so broken? My heart plummets to my stomach. How long have I been gone? The seasons have changed, so at least three months.

/_Yami, where are you?/_

_/On my way to you in heaven./ _My skin prickles as if I had submerged myself in ice water.

/_Wait! Wait. I'm not in heaven./_

_/Where?/_ He sounds so tired. Please don't give up. I can relate to the battle I imagine he's gone through.

_/I'm coming home. I'll be there in two minutes./_

_/Okay aibou. I wait./_

The burning cold is a complete shock to my system. For a moment, I'm Nameless, the boy who had survived a terrorist attack and had roamed the streets for three months fighting amnesia. But now I'm Yugi. There is no describing myself or how I think or why I think that way, I'm just.. Me.

I jump to my feet and take off faster than ever. Atem is my reason for existing and he's about to slip through my fingers.

_I was too numb to cry, too lost to hurt, I was already halfway dead. Before darkness could take me, an angel burst in through my door. His face was shadowed, but my heart sprung back to life when my soul recognised his. Atem._

Another memory pops through right afterwards.

_"Mou hitori no boku-" He interrupts. "No, Yugi. I'm not the other you anymore. And you are no one else but YOU. You are Yugi. The __**only Yugi Motou**__in the world." _

Before now, I never realised how important that was to me and Atem. That moment was when we became different people to him, and for me, that was when I realised my love for him wasn't fake. Atem was himself, not someone I wanted to be, but someone I wanted to be with. And still do.

My heart beats radiate thickly through my entire body. All I can hear is the frantic thump in my ears. Though I have never ran so fast for so long, I only push myself faster. My yami needs me.

**A.N**

**About time, right? I just couldn't drag you all through another filler chapter, my guilt was eating me. So, only one or two more chapters. *tears* I might actually cry at the end of this one.**


	10. The End and Forever After

**Disclaimer: YuGiOh does not belong to me. **

**This is the end everyone. I can't believe it's finally come. Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed. You ALL get cyber oreos. Namara Jane Knight made a video on youtube that goes with this story in my opinion. Look her up!; she's Namara Jane Knight on youtube as well. Enjoy. **

A Yami's Hikari

Chapter Ten

The end and Forever after

_Love: A profoundly passionate affection for another person; The ability to care for something far more than oneself. _

**Yugi**

The fast falling snow gives me an odd sense of deja vu. I am Yami exactly one year ago, running faster than possible to save my aibou. There's only a few houses between us now. I'm gasping and blinking away black dots from my vision, but I'm far more concerned for my pharaoh. I might not be strong enough to keep the both of us from falling apart.

None of it matters though. What matters is him, and that we stay together for as long as we can.

Not taking the time to knock, I push open the slightly ajar door into our kitchen. Broken glass nearly coats the floor with insects running through it. The stench of our house almost makes me fall unconscious. How long has it been like this?

"/Atem?/' I call through our connection and out loud. Near silence answers me. _/ATEM!/_ I faintly hear the sound of sloshing water from upstairs. Oh Kami.

I race up the stairs as quick as my shaking legs can carry me.

**Atem**

I know I promised to wait for aibou, but the fake Yugis were the straw that broke the camel's back. Now I'm hearing his voice. After the voice ceases talking, I limp into the unused bathroom and turn on the cold water faucet. I have no regrets about leaving this world behind.

After the tub is filled, I turn the water back off and ease myself into the numbingly cold water. The breath rushes from my lungs, taking the rest of the warmth out of me. My body shakes violently making my teeth slam repeatedly together. I slip down until I am fully submerged and wait for death to take me back.

A minute passes, and I go to my soul room to escape the pure agony from drowning. The beautiful hieroglyphs and portraits are slowly washing away from the water pouring from the ceiling. I wrap my arms around my knees while I wait for the end on my floating bed. Why did I not do this before? The ice water laps over the covers to touch and grab me reminding me of the shadows that used to haunt me.

_**Frozen in time without your touch**_

_**Without your love**_

_**Darling, only you are the light among the dead. -Bring Me to Life, Evanescence**_

**Yugi**

I slammed open the door to the restroom and nearly fall over myself in the darkness to get to him. "You promised!" I can't help but scream. The water I plunge my hands into is even colder than the December winds blowing outside. I hug him tightly and drag him out of the water he was drowned in. "Atem?" No answer. How can someone so tan be so blue? I panic and scream again, "Atem, Atem answer me! YAMI!" My mouth meets his and I blow life giving air into his dead lungs. His heart is silent beneath my blows to his chest.

**Atem**

For some reason, the water begins receding. "No!" I shout. Why does everything want us to be apart? No matter, I should be gone in but a few moments. An endless abyss lies in between my soul and heaven, but I will find him anyway.

The blackness releases its hold upon me, despite my protests. Can the shadows not tell I am prepared to join them again? A sharp pain inside my numb chest makes me gasp in breath I don't want to take in. My soul room disappears as I regain consciousness.

_**Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming,**_

_**Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights.**_

_**Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming. -Imaginary, Evanescence**_

**In the narrator's point of view**

Yugi eventually lost the strength to keep his lover's dead heart beating. After so long of running off of nothing, the weariness of life had taken its toll on the hikari. He fell over Atem's silent chest and sobbed. Why? Why did he have to get his memories back just to see his partner die before his eyes? Why could he have not gotten his memories just moments earlier? Why? How could life be so cruel?

Atem was forced back into the dead body. He desperately tried to breathe in, but his lungs were completely filled with water. The only thing not causing him pain was the warmth radiating off of something clutching him.

The hikari felt Yami shudder beneath him. Yugi came to a complete stop, not daring to breathe or think. Those fingers he was holding fiercely were twitching slightly. "Atem," he whispered in shock.

Somehow through the blanket of death surrounding him, the once pharaoh heard his name spoken. There was no denying that voice, fake or no. He tried to answer, but his lips felt frozen together. The shadows started pulling him back, only willing to take the pharaoh if he put up a fight.

Yugi hysterically tried to bring his other half back. He couldn't remember to save his partner's life what to do if CPR wasn't working. The light was terrified of losing his darkness again. Twice was enough. A third time would bring him to utter madness. He let instinct take over and punched Atem in the abdomen with all his might.

Carmine eyes flew open and water poured from the dark's mouth and nose. Oh, it burned! He leaned over the toilet and retched until only bile and tears came out. Yugi was there, holding back his bangs and comforting him as best he could. Atem was in denial; his aibou would fall apart in moments and the thoughts of him in pain would begin again. The other teenager hugged the Egyptian, not caring the condition he was in. After all this time had past, they were finally together again.

Atem couldn't and refused to stop crying. All of the traumatic events of the last three months kept running rampant behind his eyelids. He hated himself so much for letting everything happen. Yugi's tears mingled with his own as the memories played in his own mind. Words of comfort died before leaving his lips. How could he have let this happen to his mou hitori no boku?

Yami stiffened up in his arms and said with sharp seriousness, "Aibou, never blame yourself. Ever." His voice cracked. _/I'll try not to./_ Yugi promised. He pulled a giant towel out from the cabinet and lovingly wrapped his pharaoh into it.

Love: To see their lightest and darkest hours and still never wanting to let their significant other go.

That night, they curled up together on a pallet on their bedroom floor, far too filthy for the bed. Atem could have sworn Yugi still smiled of lavender beneath everything else. Yugi never let their hands part.

Life swiftly caught back up to the duo. The house was a disaster, bills had gone months without being paid, there was only five hundred dollars left to pay for everything, and Yugi had no idea if Atem had caught any deceases while he was gone.

The first thing to happen was that they cleaned the house and put it back in working order. Neither was out of sight of the other for the first couple of days. Though it nearly killed him, Atem refused to kiss or touch his hikari in fear of spreading sickness he hadn't thought about.

After three days had passed, their home was as clean as it could ever be. That night they finally slept in the same bed together for the first time in what felt like years to them.

Yugi paid the bills in order of importance, leaving the two without heat. The sign on the Turtle game shop was flipped to Open.

The visit to a free health clinic was needed, yet nightmarish. Both had lice, yellowish skin from their poor diet, and a multitude of easily curable symptoms from being out of money. Yugi held Atem's hand when the doctor made certain he was STD free.

Jou stopped by the game shop after being surprised from the small Saturday crowd. He entered and jumped from the small jingle of the bell. Guilt ate at the blonde from every direction. "Just a second!" He heard his once best friend call from the depths of the storage room. Jounouchi chickened out and ran before he thought he was spotted, not knowing Yami had seen everything.

A month after they re-found one another, everything was shakily back into place. They were nearly five thousand dollars in debt, but Grandpa's business had made a comeback like always. Some kids still came in to purchase duel monster cards even after so much time had passed. The younger siblings always listened to the odd couple's stories about the origin of the cards and about a misguided thief by the name of Yami Bakura.

Yugi and Atem were laying on the dew sodden grass in January waiting for a meteor shower. The hikari was much more captivated by his yami's carmine eyes. Yami kissed his love's forehead and whispered, "Yugi, marry me, promise you'll stay with me." marriage was the only thing in the entire world that didn't bind them together. Unable to speak, his aibou nodded his head. Atem slipped the simple golden ring with the hieroglyphs Forever sketched into it on his partner's finger. **1.** The sweetest kiss shared between them almost outshone the stars falling like fireworks.

Naturally this happy event led to a few fights.

"This is ridiculous, Atem. We can't afford three meals a day, how are we supposed to have a wedding?"

"Then they can be hungry along with us."

"No one's going to show up!" Yugi crumpled and hid his face. Why was this so difficult? Bringing up his friends reminded him of digging out a splinter. It was needed, but stung all the same.

"They will come," the darker half promised while holding his fretting kòi in his arms.

March the first came far too quickly for Yugi's taste. Earlier the previous day, he and his soon to be husband had spent a good couple of hours hanging lights around the backyard. Yami had baked a surprisingly edible, red velvet cake. Chairs had been dragged out, along with a long hunk of wood covered with a table cloth serving as a platform. Now there was a table added and rice balls in its corners. The small, one layer cake was proudly placed in the center. All there was left to do was wait for the guests to get ready.

Yugi, being the 'bride', was dressed completely in white. He wore a slightly shimmery long sleeved shirt, bleached not drooping sweat pants, and a clean pair of sneakers.

Atem wore a nice jacket, only revealing a hint of his blue shirt underneath, sewn dress pants, and his usual buckled boots.

Though most couples would be devastated by these turns of events, Yugi and Yami just couldn't wait for the vows to have already been said. This extra pile of stress added to their plate was the last thing they needed.

Anzu came into the backyard just before sunset. The brunette was shell shocked by how much she had missed while being in America. Not only had her previous love interest returned from the dead, but he was marrying Yugi. Guilt ensnared her heart for abandoning her short friend. What if they had never seen each other again? The thought made her cyan eyes water in regret. At the sight of Yami, she wiped the tears away and gave him a hug in greeting. "Did you have a safe flight?" He asked in that deep voice she still loved. How do you get over losing your friend to death? And then to your best friend?

"Yes, thankfully."

Oblivious to her inner adolescent emotional feud, Atem gave her a rundown of what was supposed to happen. Neither of the Motous had done much planning. Anzu was surprised yet again when she saw Jou, Ryou, Seto of all people, and Yami Bakura.

"W-where's grandpa?" Everyone had already asked, so the answer felt rehearsed. "His ashes are spread across Egypt, since he loved the land so much." Anzu downcasted her eyes in sadness.

"Oh."

"Yugi's upstairs if you still wish to see him," he said, changing the subject. The young adult nodded and fixed the straining straps to her bulging purse before heading into the house. She took off her pink platforms and tiptoed up the stairs. Only the door to Yugi's room was closed, so Anzu knocked on that one.

"Hey, Yugi. It's Anzu." There was a weak reply of "Come in". All she could see was a slight bulge bundled up under the blue comforter. "What are you doing? You're about to get married!" The brunette ambled over then sat on the edge of the bed.

"This is ridiculous," came the muffled reply.

Confused, she asked, "What is?"

Yugi threw the covers off. "The whole wedding! We couldn't buy anything but the stupid cake mix. I'm wearing _sweatpants_ for Ra's sake." Anzu used all her willpower to not gasp at how skinny the king of games had become. Could it have actually been over a year since they had spoken?

The young adult leaned over and pinched her friend's cheek. "Being a worrier doesn't suit you. Now is a really bad time for you to start that." She cut off his startled reply and dug into her purse. "You of all people should know everything works itself out in the end if you put in a little effort." Anzu handed him a pair of nearly glowing, snow colored skinny jeans and a silver necklace with an infinity symbol for the charm. Yugi seemed to forget how to speak.

"Get changed! And those jeans were expensive, so you'd better wear them more than once," she joked, only half serious about the later part. Yugi nearly tackled her off the bed with his hug.

"Thank you so much."

Anzu smiled and gratefully hugged him back. "I think I owe you an apology."

_**We, unaccustomed to courage  
exiles from delight  
live coiled in shells of loneliness  
until love leaves its high holy temple  
and comes into our sight  
to liberate us into life.**_

_**Love arrives  
and in its train come ecstasies  
old memories of pleasure  
ancient histories of pain.  
Yet if we are bold,  
love strikes away the chains of fear  
from our souls.**_

_**We are weaned from our timidity  
In the flush of love's light  
we dare be brave  
And suddenly we see  
that love costs all we are  
and will ever be.  
Yet it is only love  
which sets us free. -Maya Angelou, Touched by an Angel**_

Jounouchi stood beside Atem and bit his already short nails to stubs. "Is something wrong?" The groom asked.

The blonde man sighed. "Well honestly, I'm afraid your gonna kill me after I marry you to my best friend." The ex-pharaoh chuckled.

"If I touch any alcohol, you may wish to run for your life." Jou bit his lip and changed the subject.

"Why did you forgive me?" It was Atem's turn to sigh.

"I understood that you were truly guilty for leaving him. He still loves you all, despite no one being there for him. How could I not try to amend our friendship?"

An old fire came into his honey brown eyes. "I won't ever let you two down again."

Atem smiled, "I will hold you to that."

The clear lights in the twilight made the small backyard look enchanting. There were enough to everyone clearly, yet as the night grew closer, the shadows stretched and curved captivatingly around the yard. Ryou pulled out an antique flute and began to play a familiar melody to Seto. The businessman was surprised Yugi had chosen Rohan as his wedding march. The lovely tune did seem to fit the darkening scene.

Everyone stood up when Yugi came out the back door. His pale skin and clothes made him stand out like a star. He didn't hold any flowers, so he didn't seem to know what to do with his hands. As bravely as he could, the ex-barrer to the millennium puzzle walked to the once spirit.

Ryou's flute solo ended and everyone besides Jou, Yami, and Yugi sat down.

The vows were said, each having made up their own, and Jou declared with the power vested in him, thank Kami for the internet, that the grooms were married. The two young adults gave each other a chaste kiss for the audience's sake, and the wedding was over.

All of their friends congratulated the newly weds. Seto didn't say anything, but handed Yugi a closed envelope before taking his coat and leaving. He wasn't the type to uselessly mingle after all.

The thief king either held Ryou's hand or shoulder the entire time the two were there. He explained after the ceremony that his and Atem's souls were connected in an odd way, and he had been released from nothingness when Yami had been allowed back on earth. Ra made the decision to helplessly blind him so he couldn't do as much harm. Why else would he stay with Ryou? Yugi guessed by the way Ryou smacked his shoulder and Bakura did nothing to hurt him back, that maybe there were emotions behind his facade.

Somehow, Atem had confused salt with sugar, so the cake was a complete disaster. Only Jounouchi and Bakura dug in without a second thought.

The chairs were cleared away and the dancing began. Since there were so few people, Anzu was stuck with Jou. Somehow, the brunette didn't find him so bad.

A piano lullaby played, and Yugi sang quietly so only his mou hitori no boku could hear.

_"The words have been drained from this pencil_

_Sweet words that I want to give you_

_And I can't sleep_

_I need to tell you goodnight_

_When we're together I feel perfect_

_When I'm pulled away from you_

_I fall apart_

_All you say is sacred to me_

_Your eyes so carmine _

_I can't look away as we lay in the stillness_

_You whisper to me_

_Yugi, marry me_

_Promise you'll stay with me_

_Oh you don't have to ask me_

_You know you're all that I live for_

_You know I'd die just to hold you_

_Stay with you_

_Somehow I'll show you_

_That you are my night sky_

_I've always been right behind you_

_Now I'll always be right beside you_

_So many nights_

_I've cried myself to sleep_

_Now that you love me_

_I love myself_

_I never thought I would say that_

_I never thought there'd be _

_You" (-You, Amy Lee)_

The End

**A.N.**

**Ouch! This actually pains me. I'm sorry for making the ending seem so rushed, but another couple of months in such detail would bore everyone to death. There is a lemon after this author's note, but I think a few members of my audience would prefer the story to end here. Some things I want to clear up.**

**1. Yugi's grandfather- He died a little after Yami came back in A Hikari's Yami. Remember that I mentioned he was in Egypt when Yugi tried to kill himself? He never came back home. **

**2. Summer/Rika- She is a Mary Sue, don't kill me. Her story is a long sad one no one wants to hear. She wasn't at the wedding because she ended up pregnant and died from grief when she had a miscarriage. **

**3. Yami Bakura- How could I leave him out? Him and Yami are pretty connected, despite what they may say. Read Icepool123's story Diary of Bakura if you want to know about him. I kinda stole that. Sorry! She's my beta, so she'll change him if she's ticked. :p**

**4. Seto's present- He was awesome and gave my favorite duo a loan to get back on their feet. **

**5. Thanks everyone for sticking around! I have a poll on my profile on what story to write next. Please vote!**

**So without further ado, here is the lemon I promised. (I never promised I was good at them *sigh*)**

Yugi collapsed on the couch after all his friends dispersed back to their own homes. Weddings are exhausting! The newly wed covered his eyes with a pale arm and kicked off his shoes. His husband chuckled as he came out of the kitchen, "Mind if I join you?" The shorter young man shook his head. Since his eyes were covered, he missed the nice view of Atem's hairless chest and softly muscled stomach.

Atem lied behind his aibou. Everything was silent for the longest while. The ex-pharaoh absentmindedly rubbed the sharp line of his reincarnation's pelvic bone. **(Many people call that a hip bone.) **Yugi's attention was drawn to the innocent touch immediately. All of his nerve endings seemed to be concentrated on Atem's touch, and his stomach grew warm. Had he always been affected like this?

_There were clothes in a heap next to the yami and hikari as they kissed and moved their hands fervently up and down the other's body. Sweat rolled down foreheads before mixing between the two chests rubbing together. Twin sets of lips hungrily devoured each other. Things would have progressed further if the phone hadn't of rung. Yugi's slightly pink hand quickly grabbed the annoying object. "Mushi mushi, Motou Yugi," he answered breathlessly._

In present time, nothing stood between them. They could love each other fully and bear no consequence. With that in mind, the hikari flipped around and pressed his lips to his yami's. Appreciating the gesture, Atem returned the favor. A minute later, he broke the soft kiss for air; Yugi simply continued a line of soft pecks along his jaw line. He added a bit of tongue and left a wet trail of saliva to his partner's ear. His warm breath made the other young man shiver.

A cold shot ran down Yami's spine at the thought of someone else touching him, no, violating him. He drove away the memories forcefully. Now was not the time to remember something so horrifying. Nevertheless, his nuasea made him want to puke. "We can stop. I'm sorry," Yugi apologised, moving a slight distance away. Atem shook his head; he was having none of that. The Egyptian pulled his love back against him intimately.

Instead of words, Yugi was given a hot kiss. Their swirling tongues sent electric shivers down both's skin and blood further south. The light's knees gave out, having turned to liquid, causing erections to rub against the other. Atem moaned while his aibou bit his lip at the intense good feeling.

Before the hikari could blink, he found himself in Yami's arms halfway up the stairs. He whined, "Yami!" Yes, he hated being carried like a little kid while his yami believed it to be romantic. Yugi would never admit he sometimes liked the act in fear of Atem carrying him around more often.

Yugi wrapped his arms and legs around his mou hitori no boku after the door clicked shut and forcefully kissed Atem. Both had butterflies about their first time together (Yugi being a virgin and Atem having only unpleasant experiences). Somehow Yami accomplished getting his hikari's shirt off. He might as well have been intoxicated from Yugi's kisses.

They slid down to the floor, but that only encouraged them more. "Aibou, could those pants be ANY tighter?" The other nervously giggled.

"Was more than one belt necessary?" The pharaoh chuckled at that retort.

"Touchè."

Pants were discarded after the brief struggle. Then underwear and socks until they were both bare excepting Anzu's necklace. Yugi had to drag Atem to the bed. ("But the floor is fine!")

For the first time, a blush spread over the pale boy's face. 'This' was finally happening after five years of being in love with the spirit. Yami rubbed their noses together, "I love you, aibou."

"Love you too, mou- Atem." Sometimes it was hard to remember the pharaoh was no longer his other half.

Said pharaoh bit and licked his way down Yugi's chest. Yugi gasped and gripped Atem's hair when his nipples were licked by a talented tongue. Atem kept at that until he was rewarded with a low moan of his name and moved to the other. He left his aibou breathless and dug through the bedside drawer. His husband laughed when he dropped the tube.

Yami was back on him in a second. "Not funny." He harshly kissed away a retort. _/Yes it was!_/ Of course, mind link.

He covered his fingers in the slippery substance. In all seriousness, Atem asked /_Are you sure? This may hurt._/ His heart nearly melted when Yugi nodded and kissed him again.

Yami circled the tight ring of muscle before pushing his finger slowly inside. His hikari crinkled his eyebrows at the odd feeling. No, it felt invasive and weird. Yugi's displeasure increased when another finger was added. That _hurt _despite the nice distractions Atem gave him by nibbling on his sensitive collarbone.

A random balloon pop of extreme pleasure took Yugi's breath away. His hips involuntarily bucked and made the good feeling intensify. Atem had to control himself from smirking with the small conquest. Finally, he was doing something right.

Yugi felt as if he were on cloud nine during a lightning storm. The hikari didn't know that his husband had finished stretching him until the fingers left. The (horny) young man groaned from the loss. He wrapped his arms and legs as he had done earlier, but the new intimacy made his heart flutter.

Slowly as possible for the situation, Atem slid into his (much younger) husband. Yugi arched into the movement. He was well taken care of; there was only a very tolerable amount of pain. Yami waited until Yugi impatiently bucked his hips to start slowly thrusting.

The ex-spirit's heart flew up to his throat at the feeling of his hikari. This was better than heaven itself. A similar idea came to Yugi's mind, but he had yet to visit the afterlife.

After a few more loving, romantic moves, both the light and dark grew too hot to keep up the slow pace.

"Gods -pant- if you don't go faster-pant-..." The 'threat' somehow made Atem grow harder.

Yugi had a difficult time matching thrust for thrust afterwards.

Hot. Slick. Beautiful. Regret. Love. Aibou. Yami. Hikari. _Gods!_

Blinding white lights obscured the young men's eyesight. An explosion of raw, amazing pleasure took what was left of their breath away. They had double the feeling of their orgasms from the mind link between them. Atem slumped onto Yugi's heaving chest and panted from the high.

Both the heroes lied and simply took in oxygen for a minute or two. Yugi was horrified to find his eyes drooping. Sex shouldn't be so tiring. /_You would be surprised, aibou_/ Mutual insecurity drifted through their shared thoughts.

What now?

Succumbing to physical exhaustion, Atem kissed Yugi's sweaty forehead and pulled them close together. The hikari gripped his yami tightly in return. They fell asleep in each other's arms as they would do for the rest of their days.

_**As YamiYugiCandy once said, "And if that is not a happy ending, then perhaps it is a happy beginning."**_

The End


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